Sales of Lincoln Navigator surge even further, as segment slides back into the red

Sales in the US Premium Full-size SUV segment fell by 3.1% to 60,612 in the first half of 2018, as the segment’s rate of decline accelerated to 4.5% in the second quarter of the year. With the new Lincoln Navigator being the only new model still ramping up sales, and only the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class set to go on sale before the end of the [Read more…]

Sales in the US Premium Full-size SUV segment fell by 1.6% to 30,794 in the first quarter of 2018, a slight slow-down relative to the 2.5% growth the segment recorded in 2017. With the new Lincoln Navigator and Infiniti QX80 still ramping up sales, and the new Mercedes-Benz G-Class set to go on sale in the coming months the segment may [Read more…]

Sales of new Lincoln Navigator soar in the fourth quarter as segment grows slowly

Sales in the premium full-size SUV segment fell by 7.0% to 34,507 in the fourth quarter of 2017, while overall sales in 2017 rose by 2.5% to 126,559. The segment remains slightly ahead of the premium compact SUV segment, but with the latter growing at double-digit rates it seems likely it will become the smallest among the premium SUV sectors [Read more…]

Slowdown in the sector almost pushes it into the clutches of the Premium Compact SUV segmentSales of Premium Full-Size SUVs were down 1% in the third quarter of 2017, a slight slowdown relative to the 3% growth in the second quarter, and a considerable slowdown relative to the 19% growth recorded in the first quarter. With 92,052 sales since the beginning of the year, the segment remains slightly ahead of the Premium Compact SUV segment, but with the latter growing at double-digit rates it seems likely it will become the smallest among the Premium SUV sectors in 2018, unless the new Lincoln Navigator and upcoming Cadillac Escalade can somehow bring back the era when bling dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Note: after lumping really models as disparate as the Lincoln MKX and Bentley Bentayga under the Premium Large SUV banner for a long time, we have decided to split the segment into two: Premium Large SUV and Premium Full-size SUV. The difference between the two will hopefully be self-evident, but we’re aiming for the latter segment to capture models that are ahead of the more homogenous Premium Large SUV pack either through their size (Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Lexus LX), price (Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz G-Class), or both (Bentley Bentayga). Let us know what you think of this new split.

Sales in the Premium Large SUV segment rose by 8.7 percent in 2016 to 616,093, allowing the segment to retain a healthy margin ahead of the Premium Mid-sized SUV segment. The growth figure becomes an even-more-impressive 10.0 percent with the inclusion of the Tesla Model X, which is listed in the Alternative Power segment – impressive in this era of downsizing. The popularity of this segment is borne out in the sheer number of models offered by manufacturers: with a total of 25 models following the introduction of Maserati Levante and Bentley Bentayga, this segment is now one of the most populous. 2017 will see the introduction of the newest versions of the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Porsche Cayenne, as well as the new Land Rover Discovery which should reintroduce the Discovery name in the US.

Sales in the Premium Large SUV segment rose by 11 percent in the third quarter of 2016, one percent faster than in the first two quarters of 2016. When you include Tesla Model X, which technically belongs in the Alternative Power segment, that rate of growth rises to 13 percent YTD – impressive in this era of downsizing. Moreover, the popularity of the segment is borne out in the sheer number of models offered by manufacturers: with a total of 24 models following the introduction of Maserati Levante and Bentley Bentayga, this segment is now one of the most populous.

Sales of Premium Large SUVs in the US rose by 10 percent in the second quarter of 2016, exactly the same rate of growth as in the first quarter. What is impressive is that for all the trend in downsizing, this is exactly the same rate of growth as that recorded by the Premium Mid-sized SUV segment, and only a bit slower than the Premium Compact SUV segment.

Sales of Premium Large SUVs in the US rose by 12% in Q1 2016 to 139,709 vehicles – a slower rate of growth than in both smaller Premium SUV segments, but still considerably faster than the average 3% growth rate experienced by the industry as a whole. Similarly to the Premium Mid-sized SUV segment, most of the high growth happened among models that ranked in the middle of the standings, while some of the highest-selling models experienced a fall in volume.

Highlights in Q1 2016:

The new Lexus RX, which hit the market in 2016, has not so far resulted in a large growth in sales for the model (2% sales growth was below segment average), but so far it retains the segment lead

The facelifted Mercedes-Benz GLE did much better – its sales grew by 18%, party on the back of the newly-introduced GLE Coupe, which allowed the German model to claim second spot in the segment by vaulting Acura MDX, whose sales fell by 17% in anticipation of the facelifted model hitting the market next quarter, and its arch-rival BMW X5, whose sales fell by 15%

The top 10 sees the entry of new models which experienced great growth compared to Q1 2015: Volvo XC90 (sales up almost 7,000%, up to sixth spot), Lincoln MKX (sales up 81%, up to seventh spot) and Audi Q7 (sales up over 100%, up to eight spots). In fact, with sales of 6,993, Q1 2016 marks the highest quarterly result for the large Audi, showing once again that good looks are not necessary to succeed in this segment

Interestingly, despite continuing low gas prices, most of the largest models in the segment recorded a fall in sales: Range Rover Sport (down 11%), Lexus GX (down 5%), Mercedes-Benz GL (down 39%, presumably in anticipation of the incoming GLS facelifted model), as well as Range Rover (down 1%) and Infiniti QX80 (down 5%). The only exception to this was the Lexus LX, whose sales were up 76% on the back of a recent facelift

The sportiest models in the segment, Porsche Cayenne and BMW X6, did well for themselves with a 14% and 16% growth in sales, respectively

Land Rover Discover continues to increase in popularity despite the new model being just around the corner, with sales up 68%

Tesla Model X continues to rise in the ranks, and is now up to 19th spot with sales of 2,425

The Large Premium SUV segment in the US has picked up its growth in the fourth quarter of 2015, as it finishes the year with an 8.2% increase over 2014, totaling 557,982 sales. Only 4 models of the 22 that are continued in this segment lose volume, while 8 enjoy sales records. The traditional leader of the segment, the Lexus RX is due for a new generation, but manages to keep its sales relatively stable at just -6%. In 2016 the redesigned RX will undoubtedly break its 2005 record of 108,775 US sales. The second place of the Acura MDX is under fire as the Japanese #2 loses 11% while the BMW X5 in third place improves an impressive 17% to come within 3.300 sales of the MDX. This is the second consecutive year that the X5 breaks its US volume record for the 17 years it’s been sold here. [Read more…]

The Large Premium SUV segment grew by 3% in Q3, and 6% since the beginning of the year, compared to the respective periods in 2014. This makes it the slowest-growing SUV segment bar the non-premium Large SUV segment, suggesting that consumers are slowly but surely moving to smaller SUVs and crossovers. [Read more…]